Hi, thank you for your reply! I should have mentioned that it's one journey of 30-40 miles a week, on country roads which are quite quick so the car gets nice and warm (i.e. DPF). I don't do any town driving as we don't have any over here! I get the bus to and from work but there's one day where I finish after the last bus (2100), taxis are really expensive and I've already got abiek for local journeys. My work is a 25 mile round trip each day. We will, occasionally, be driving (and ferry) 250 miles round trip to visit our parents.

What would the driving be like? I'm not a boy racer but I like having the ability to overtake!

Hi 72 dudes, and thank you for your reply! I am looking to go down to the super-mini size (B segment??) as my C5 is really too big for the roads over here - before my C5 I owned a 1.6 petrol C4 for four years so I know how good thay are - I don't want a car that size sadly. My other half has a 58 plate 207 with the 1.4 16v which I agree is gutless - that's why I was looking for the diesel as we don't go fast on the Island as most of our roads are single track (no dual carriageway or better at all!).

I will hopefully be getting off the Islands for a test drive at the end of this month of a 1.4HDi, and I will see if they'll let me take a 1.4 VTi out too but I've found a very nice, blue, 1.4HDi Connexion which is fairly loacl (less than 150 miles) which I very much like the look of.

Hi all! Thank you all for your replies. I am looking at the 1.4HDi as it's the only used one locally (still two days away from home!) that I can get in a spec and colour I like. It's a bit annoying that the Citroen approved used scheme doesn't transfer cars between dealerships, you've got to go to teh selling dealer. Also, the dealer I'm looking at I've used for years with my C4 and C5 when I lived on the mainland and I've never had anything but brilliant service from them.

I'm going to look at a new C3 the, possibly one of the e-HDi models or petrol VTi. Out of interest, for the miles I do, would a petrol be cheaper in the long run to own and maintain?

Thanks again, David

Hi pork pie. I'd probably drive my C5 to work more often is it wasn't for it costing so much - the first two weeks here it cost me £90 in diesel whereas the works bus is £37 per month! I don't drive like a lunatic and I get around 44 mpg out of my C5 due to the stop / start nature of the single track roads.

I like the 1.4HDi I've seen as it's less than £10k and they'll give me £5k trade-in. It's the connexion model so fitted with satnav / bluetooth and automatic air conditioning. The nearest 1.4i connexion is 336 miles away in Warrington!

I don't want an automatic (EGS) so I can't get the 1.4VTi from new and the 1.6 petrol costs the same in tax as I'm paying currently. This leaves the 1.2 VTI 82, which is more powerful than the 1.4HDi but has much less torque. I can only get this from new for around £15,000 if I want a VTR+ with the satnav fitted. For £5k more is it worth it?

Edited by David83 on 05/06/2013 at 13:07

Hi SteveLee, do you drive (or have driven) the C3 1.4HDi? I had thought that going from a 1.6i C4 to a 1.6HDi C5 woul feel quite different - C5 slower as it's heavier - but it feels faster than my C4 did. I guess this is due to the torque from the diesel as both 1.6 engines are 110bhp but the C5 is 500kg heavier?